What are some good class setups for different stages of Terraria?

Terraria doesn’t force a rigid class system; weapons fall into melee, ranged, magic, and summoner categories, and most players get the best results by sticking to a single damage type as they advance. In practice, start flexible in the early game and commit to a primary class after you’ve defeated a few bosses, then tailor armor, accessories, and buffs to that choice through progression. For detailed loadouts and how the classes evolve over the game, see the class setups guide Guide:Class_setups and Armor progression guidance Guide:Armor_progression.

Early game (pre-bosses): use whatever you find, since defense and survival trump strict class identity. Melee options include Thorn Chakram; ranged options include Gold Bow, Demon Bow, Tendon Bow; magic options include Thunder Zapper and Crimson Rod; summoners can use Finch Staff or Slime Staff. Pre-bosses emphasize surviving and collecting gear, after which you can start leaning into a single class. Once you enter early hardmode, you can specialize toward one path: Melee with Shadow or Molten armor, Ranged with Molten or Hallowed sets, Magic with Jungle/Ancient Cobalt, or Summoner with Ancient Shadow gear. See the class setups page for full item lists and stage-appropriate cues.

Endgame and beyond: Hardmode plus Moon Lord content rewards focused armor. Endgame armor is typically Luminite-tier for your class, though hybrid sets (e.g., mixing offense with survivability) remain popular. Notable late-game pieces like Valhalla Knight’s Breastplate improve survivability, while other endgame options and accessories support high DPS. For up-to-date endgame loadouts by class, reference the Armor progression guide Guide:Armor_progression.